Impact-engine.



Patented 0ct. I, [90L G. WHITE.

IMP-ACT ENGINE. (Application flled'sept. 21, 1887. Renewed Aug. 29,1901.)

3 Sheets-Sheet I.

(No Model.)

1' mama runs :0. mufnm No. 683,537. Patented Oct. I, l90l. 6. WHITE.

IMPACT ENGINE.

(Application filed Sept. 21, 189?]. Renewed Aug. 29,1901.) (No Model.) 3Sheets-Sheet 2.

ATTORNE No. '683,537. Patehted Out. I, I90l.

6. WHITE.

IMPACT ENGINE.

(Application filed Sept. 21, 1897. Renewed Aug. 29, 1901.)

(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

WH NESSESI INVENTOR ATTORN I TM: NORM! Perms co. FHQTQL-HTNO" wunmafcu.u, c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE WHITE, OF JERSEY CITY, NEIV JERSEY.

IMPACT-ENGINE.

mam-amen formingpart of Letters Patent No. 683,537, dated October 1,1901.

Application filed $eptember 21, 1897. Renewed August 29, 1901. SerialNo. 73,702. (No model-J To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE WHITE, a citizen of the United States,residing in Jersey City, in the county of Hudson and State of NewJersey, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement inImpact-Engines, of which the following is a specification.

In those engines which are driven by the energy of impact of fluids inmotion the maximum efficiency of conversion is obtained by atotal-arrest of the motion of the driving fluid. In practice, however, acertain amount of residual velocity must be allowed for in order thatthe working fluid may be got out of the way after it has done its work.In order that the maximum work effect may be produced in the face ofthis last-named condition, the surfaces of impact in the engine shouldbe arranged to finally discharge the working fluid in a directionparallel and directly opposed to the direction of movement of saidsurfaces of impact and the working fluid should be delivered to theengine from its proper jet-tube as nearly in the line of movement of thesaid surfaces as possible.

It is the main object of my invention to supply a construction whereinthese conditions of maximum efficiency may be present.

My invention also comprises a number of details of constructionhereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a sectional view of theworking parts of a turbine, preferably for use with steam, a portion ofthe working wheel and a number of the jet-tubes and tube-holders beingremoved. Fig. 2 is an elemental form of bucket embodying the essentialsof my invention. Fig. 3 is" a side View of a portion of a working wheelor disk, showing the preferred arrangement of the form of bucket shownin Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3 illustrating the use of animproved and preferred form of bucket embodying the essentialcharacteristics of the form shown in Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a face view ofsaid preferred form of bucket. Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the same,and Fig. 7 is a sectional View of a preferred arrangement of jet-tubeand tube-holder.

My invention is very simply embodied in the form of bucket shown in Fig.2, wherein is parallel to the base 3.

the tube 1 is the directing portion and the curved-surface 2 thereversing portion of my bucket. In one aspect and considered simply asapplied to a bucket however mounted on a wheel these two portions areessentials of my invention. I prefer to mount the tube on a base 3,which is best continued in one piece into the reversing surface 2. Anymethod of fastening the properly-shaped re- 'ersing-surface to the basewould be within the present invention, however.

As shown most plainlyin Figs. 2 and 6, the surface 2 is curved, so thatits extreme lip 4 This lip is the point of discharge of the workingfluid after it has done its work. The shape of the reversing portion 2is such, therefore, that any fluid that is projected through the tube 1will be turned through one hundred and eighty degrees of arc and willvleave the bucket in a direction the reverse of that which it has in saidtube; This form of bucket may be used in many well-known ways on aturbine or impact wheel without departing from my invention so long asthe fluid is arranged to be projected by the agency of thedirecting-surface of the bucket into the reversing portion thereof.

In my preferred form of turbine the buokets are mounted upon a disk in amanner fully revealed by Figs. 3 and 4:. The relation of the buckets tothe driving fluid is shown by the outlines 5 in Figs. 3 and 4, whichindicate the jet-tubes from which the water, steam, or other fluid isdischarged. This is more fully shown in Fig. l in relation 7 to the useof the buckets on both sides of the work wheel or disk, which is theconstruction preferred.

It will be seen from Fig. 3 that the working fluid will pass into thetubes 1 of successive buckets in turn and will be discharged from thelips 4 over said tube. During the time occupied by any one bucket inpassing through the path of delivery of the working fluid the axis ofthe curved surface of impact or reversing portion of the bucket willchange its angle with relation to the direction of fluid movement as itleaves the jet-tube 5; but since the fluid is at all'times received bythe directing-tube 1 it will always be given such a direction as to fallagainst the curved surface 2 at right angles to its axis, and thusinsure complete reversal of movement irrespective of the angle made atany given instant with the direction of the jet. The deflection of thefluid by the tubes 1 will work no detriment, since it is accomplished bya conversion of energy taken up by the work ing disk on which the bucketis mounted.

I have found that a cheaper and better construction embodying myinvention as applied to the bucket proper is that shown in Figs. 5 and6. Here the tube 1 is replaced by a sluiceway formed upon the base 3 bythe sides 7 and 8. I have found that in practice the fluid as it strikesthe base 3 flattens out and forms a layer easily confined and directedby the sides 7 and 8. Thus the'function of the tube 1 is accomplishedwithout the use of the covering portion over the stream of fluid. Inorder, however, to best accomplish this flattening out of the stream andconsequent directing action, it is desirable that the direction of theentering fluid should have a small component at right angles to theplane of the work-wheel. For this purpose I have made my engine withconverging jet-pipes, which throw the fluid at an angle to the plane ofthe work-wheelinstead of parallel thereto, as has been done heretoforein connection with forms of buckets approaching mine in appearance.

I prefer to use my improved buckets as shown at 9 in Fig. 4, althoughthey may be given various shapes and be variously mounted upon theworking wheel without departing from my invention.

As shown in Fig. 4, the buckets are set at a small angle to thecircumference and, as shown in Fig. 5 at the point 6, the outer edge ofeach bucket preferably conforms to the arc of the work-disk. Successivebuckets are made to overlap, as shown, and it is for this reason thatthe side 8 is made shorter than the side 7. The outer points of thesesides coincide and are so placed as just to clear the jet-tube 5. Itwill be understood that the ends of my invention will be just as fullycarried out if the overlapping sides are not made double, as shown, andif the longer side of one bucket also serves as the shorter side of thenext.

The working parts of my preferred engine are shown in Fig. 1, wherein itis made clear that the improved buckets shown in Figs. 5 and 6 aremounted upon both sides of a driving-disk 10, mounted in any well-knownway to permit of the utilization of power. It will of course beunderstood that the buckets on one side must necessarily difler in shapefrom those on the other side so far as the direction of the lateralcurvature of the base 3 is concerned.

In order to avoid interference of the exhaust fluid with the fluidentering the bucket behind it, there should be no confining agent on theexhaust side of the buckets Whena free space is left around the wheel,as in my construction, the steam on leaving the bucket is found to takea direction somewhat away from the plane of the Wheel, said directionbeing the resultant of that portion of the driving fluid which haspassed around in contact with the full curve of the reversing-surfaceand of another portion which piles up within the bucket, owing to thegreater speed of the fluid than of the wheel, and which tends to escapeat right angles to the wheel. In order that this piled-up fluid, whichdoes not pass around in contact with the reversing-surface, may be aminimum and may at the same time be free to exert its influence inthrowing the exhaust fluid away from the wheel, my bucket is made with areversing-surface, which incloses a clear space within its semicylinder,as opposed to those buckets wherein a diaphragm or partition is made toproject into the space inclosed by the semicylinder. Such a partitiontends both to increase the proportion of fluid which piles up or crowdswithin the bucket and to throw the exhaust fluid back into the sphere ofthe driving fluid of the following bucket.

In my preferred construction the jet-tubes 5 are supported by holders l1and preferably contain needles 12, which may be screwed into theholders, as at 13. These needles pass through apertures 14: in thehollow bolts 15, (see Fig. 7,) upon which bolts the holders 11 arefastened by any meansas,for instance, nuts 16.

Concentric with the hub 17 of the disk 10 (see Fig. 1) is afluid-chamber 18, to which the fluid is admitted by the pipe 19. At intervals upon the chamber 18 are set the bolts 15, which carry theholders and jet-tubes and communicate directly with the fluid-chamber18, as at 20. The openings 14 admit the steam or other fluid from thehollow bolts to the jet= tubes.

Any number of holders, with their jet tube or tubes, may be used withoutdeparture from my invention; but I prefer to use these holderssymmetrically in pairsaround the wheel to balance the effort.

The construction of fluid-chamber and j ettubes and holders shown anddescribed herein produces in an engine of this kind the maximumsimplicity and permits the speediest and easiest construction in thefirst instance and repairs during running of the machine.

Many details of my invention may be greatly modified and certain partschanged in their relations to others without departure from myinvention.

What I claim is-- 1. In an impact-engine, a work-disk, and bucketsfastened on the side thereof, said buckets each comprising adirecting-surface parallel to the plane of said disk, and areversing-surface, forming a continuation of said directing-surface andturned away from said disk; in combination with jet-tubes inclined at asmall angle to the plane of said IIO cease? wheel so as to flatten thedriving fluid upon said directing-surface.

2. In an impact-engine, a work-disk, and buckets fastened on the sidethereof, said buckets each comprising a reversing-surface turned awayfrom said disk, and a flat base and confining sides parallel to theplane of said disk,"and so arranged as to direct the entering fluidfirst on said flat base and always at right angles to the axis ofcurvature of said reversing-surface.

3. In an impact-engine, a work-disk, buckets fastened on the sidethereof, and a free space at the sides of said disk and buckets forreceiving the exhaust fluid, each of said buckets comprising adirectingsurface and a reversing-surface forming a continuation thereof;in combination with jet-tubes inclined at a small angle to the plane ofsaid wheel so as to flatten the driving fluid upon saiddirecting-surface.

4. In an impact-engine, a plurality of buckets for receiving the drivingfluid, each bucket comprising a flat directing-surface, confining sidesbordering the same, and a reversingsurface; said buckets beingoverlapped so that one of said confining sides forms a sharp edge forsplitting the stream of fluid 5. In an impact-engine a plurality ofbuckets for receiving the driving fluid, each bucket comprising a flatdirecting-surface, confining sides bordering the same, and areversingsurface; said buckets being overlapped with the long confiningside of one in contact with the short confining side of the next, toform a sharp edge for splitting the stream of fluid.

6. In an impact-engine, a work-disk, a jet tube holder having aperturesconverging upon opposite faces of said disk, and jettubes fitted intosaid apertures, substantially as described.

7. In an impact-engine, a work-disk, ahollow jet-tube holder havingapertures converging upon opposite faces of said disk on the deliveryside thereof, and corresponding con verging apertures on the oppositeside thereof; in combination with jet-tubes fitted into said first-namedapertures, and directing-needles fitted into said latter apertures, sothat said needles enter said jet-tubes from within said holder.

8. In an impact-engine, a bucket having a directing-surface forreceiving the first impact of the driving fluid and a scmicylindricalreversing-surface forming a continuation of said directing-surface andinclosing a clear space within its semicylinder, whereby the accumulatedfluid is enabled to produce an exhaust away from the plane of thedirecting-surface; all in combination with a jettube arranged to projectthe driving fluid at a small angle directly upon the directing-surface.

GEORGE WHITE;

Witnesses:

DENNIS B. RYAN, HAROLD S. MAoKAYEl

